As "War" had arrived in orbit above the planet he was supposed to retake, he noticed that there was nobody on there except for one man.
"They seem to have evacuated everyone off world, they must be expecting a big battle." "War" said. "I can feel a strong presence down there. I think I've got a fun fight in my hands."
"Sir, the man down there is most likely Kize Millen, he's the captain of the Vandal Royal Guard and the most powerful man in their entire army. We can't let you go alone." A member of his honor guard said.
"Don't make me spell it out for you. If any of you came with me you'd just get in my way. He obviously thought the same thing. No this fight will be 1 on 1 just like a fight between warriors ought to be." "War" replied before making his way down alone.
He descended to the surface by jumping out of the ship from orbit and crashing into the ground like a meteor.
"Well, I'll give you credit for being able to make a dramatic entrance. Though I think your ability to gauge your opponent's strength has room for improvement." Kize said as he stood from the rock he was sitting on. "Otherwise, you'd have never come to fight me."
"Oh I can gauge your strength just fine, four eyes. I know you're stronger than me, but as a man I can't run away from a fight no matter how strong my opponent is." "War" said pounding his chest.
"I suppose I can respect that. Oh well, let's get this over with." Kize said as he got into a fighting stance.
As the two were about to square off, they sensed two new energy signatures that were making their way towards them. "Who in the world is that?" "War" thought.
The two that landed were a pair of twins and the final two members of the Vandal Royal Guard. "What are you two doing here? I thought I told you to go assist the others in their fights." Kize said.
"We were gonna, but we were too late, everyone else had already been defeated." One twin said. "So we figured it'd be easier to team up with you to wipe out the rest of the enemy." Said the other.
"I suppose it's a sound enough strategy. Though I'm more than enough to take out this opponent on my own." Kize replied
"Yes we know but," One twin started, "You need to save your strength for fighting the Empire's Royal Guard Captains. We can handle this guy for you." The other finished the sentence.
"Now allow us to introduce ourselves. We are-" The twins were trying to introduce themselves to "War" when they were ripped in two by a single strike.
The strike that killed them was not delivered by "War", nor was it from their captain Kize. Inexplicably the most grotesque creature imaginable had appeared behind them. Its aura bubbled the darkest black, and let out a bloodcurdling screech.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"What is that thing? Why is it here? What is it doing?" These questions raced through "War's" mind as he felt cold shivers went down his spine and sweat started to bead down his face. His heart started to race and he realized he was feeling a feeling that he hadn't felt in many years.
"I'm afraid. It's been so long since I've been afraid that I almost forgot what it feels like. Whatever that thing is, my instincts are telling me that it's dangerous. Even though Kize is head and shoulders above me in terms of power I don't get the same feeling from him." "War" thought. "But…."
"War" planted his feet, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists. "Over coming fear and marching forward anyway is what being a man is all about!" He thought as his aura blazed with intense fury. "I'm grateful for this opportunity to defeat my fear!" He howled.
"It seems like he's getting fired up." Kize thought as he engaged his aura as well. The two's aura caught the attention of the monster, and it seemed to be slowly approaching them.
"This is a bit of an awkward request given that our battle hadn't actually started yet, but would you mind if we put our fight on hold and work together? Only until we defeat this unknown enemy of course." Kize suggested.
"Eh, I guess we don't have much of a choice." "War" said reluctantly. "Even with the two of us this could be trouble. I don't know how to explain it but I feel like even if we kill this thing it won't die. If that makes any sense."
"No, I know what you mean. We'll have to be careful." Kize replied.
"Fraternizing with the enemy is a punishable offense." A voice said from behind them. They turned to see "Star". "Though I suppose given the unusual circumstances I'll overlook it for now."
""S-Star"? What are you doing here?" "War" asked.
"What do you think I'm doing here you fool? I was sent here on a mission." "Star" replied. Upon seeing "Star", the creature instinctively realized it was outmatched so it decided to flee. "I'll take care of this beast so you focus on your opponent." He said to "War".
"Are you sure you can handle that thing? I know you're strong but I get a really bad feeling from it." "War" said.
"He's right, I felt the creature's power growing by the second, it's clearly not in its final form. I need to finish it off as soon as possible." "Star" thought. "You're a million years too early to start worrying about me. If I was you I'd worry about my own opponent. You're clearly outmatched, you'll die if you fight Kize. You should retreat." He said.
"Bahaha! That may be but a warrior never runs away from a fight!" "War" said laughing at the idea of avoiding a fight.
"Whatever get yourself killed for all I care, my Vice Captain will handle him, he's on his way here now." "Star" said as he flew off chasing the creature.
"Well that was an odd distraction, but I suppose this means we're clear to start our dual in earnest." Kize said taking a fighting stance.
"Yeah let's go!" "War" said getting into a stance of his own.
Back on Vanda, an attendant was giving the King a report on the current situation. "Sire, the situation seems dire. We've lost contact with all members of the Royal Guard except for Kize. Even "Sun" and "Moon" were defeated. This is a serious blow to our forces, what are we going to do?" He asked in a panic. "If even Kize is defeated then we will have no chance of victory."
"Bahaha!!! As if some upstart Imperial Officer could beat Kize. I'll tell you this, as long as we have just Kize, we have a chance to win. He is the true incarnation of war." King Venpa said.